The Sun Must Set to Rise
by Kellyyy
Summary: Is there something as fate? Peyton never really believed in it, but as she keeps on bumping into that very same person she might just have to change that opinion. Maybe fate does have its plans for her? One-Shot. LP.


**Summary: **Is there something as fate? Peyton never really believed in it, but as she keeps on bumping into that very same person she might just have to change that opinion. Maybe fate _does_ have its plans for her? One-Shot. LP.

**AN: **Hey everyone! I've been working on this for a while and I'm still not really convinced about it, but I don't know what to do about it anymore so I just decided to give it a shot. It's an AU one-shot, I hope you like it. Reviews would be extremely appreciated, reading what people think of your writing is honestly the most amazing thing. So please, let me know what you think? (:

The title comes from the amazing new song _Paradise _by _Coldplay_, which I've been listening to on repeat while writing this whole thing.

Anyway, I better stop talking now so, _enjoy_. And thank you _so much _for reading!

* * *

><p><strong>The Sun Must Set to Rise<strong>

Peyton wiped away her tears with the back of her hand before she took place at the bar, leaving two stools free between her and the other person sitting there.

All she wanted to do was sit down, have a drink, and just forget about everything for a while. Forget about her stupid boyfriend, well ex-boyfriend now, forget about her job she wished she could quit and simply forget about the world in general. Just for a little while.

That was what she wanted to do. It wasn't what was happening though. As much as she tried, as much as she wished she could forget about it, Jake just wouldn't leave her mind. She had met him the first year after high school when she had just moved to LA, having left Wilmington behind, and hoping she would make it in the music industry. Jake had just moved as well, he was a young musician and just like her, he hoped to make something of his music. They had simply clicked. They had fallen in love and after a while they had moved in together. And everything had seemed perfect.

Not too long after she had moved to LA she had already figured out that it wasn't at all made for her. It wasn't like she thought it would be, she didn't become who she thought she would there either. It simply didn't seem to fit her. But it _did _have Jake. Jake was there and as long as he was there with her, she'd be happy to live there. She'd be happy with LA if that meant being happy with Jake.

But now, Jake wasn't there anymore. Or better, he _was_, he just wasn't there with _her_.

She ordered her drink, something strong, and when it came she finished it in only two swigs. She wasn't one to drink much, even though she knew how to handle her drinks, but today she didn't particularly care.

"Bad day?" The man sitting a bit away from her at the bar asked. Peyton turned her head a little to look at him and gave him a small smile accompanied by a nod. "I'm Lucas." The man introduced himself when she didn't say anything more.

"Good for you." She simply answered and ordered another drink. Lucas let out a light laugh at her answer, ordering something for himself as well.

"So, what brings you here?" He asked then.

"Drinks are nowhere as good as here."

"True. That's not the reason though, right?"

Peyton scoffed and rolled her eyes. "God, you don't give up easily, do you?"

He chuckled then and she had to roll her eyes again. She really wasn't in the mood for talking to some random guy in a bar. She just wanted to have a drink, _alone_.

"It's just… You have been crying, okay? You're crying, alone, in a bar. And I don't think anyone should be crying in a bar. Unless it's tears of joy, I don't mind tears of joy, but I don't suppose you're crying happy tears, right?" Lucas said, smiling genuinely. She looked at him again and couldn't help a smile as well. It was the first genuine smile she had smiled in days now.

"My boyfriend and I broke up." Peyton said then suddenly, surprising both her and Lucas with her openness. She didn't mean to say that, it just kind of _slipped_. Maybe it was that smile of him that got to her, or maybe it were those icy blue eyes. He looked surprised for a second before straightening up a bit and smiling again.

"I just got divorced." He answered, deciding to share something as well. She told him her reason why she was there, he could as well do the same. After getting that phone call from Lindsey earlier in the day that bar seemed to be the exact right place for him to be right then.

"I'm sorry, Lucas."

"It's okay." He shrugged. "We've been living apart for a while already, it's just that it's official now. It kinda feels weird to realize I'm not married anymore."

Silence fell for a while and they both returned to their drinks. After taking another swig she silently observed Lucas. He was young, probably somewhere the same age as her. She figured he must have gotten married pretty young.

"Do you live here?" She asked, breaking the silence between them.

He shook his head. "No, I live in New York. I'm here for my book tour actually." He had no idea why he had just said that. He was proud of his book, yes, and of course he wanted people to know that his book existed, but he didn't want to look like some show-off.

"You're a writer?"

"Just got my first book published." Lucas nodded.

"What is it about?"

"Check it out and you'll know it." He said jokingly. She only smiled before telling him that she would. Then, she ordered some more drinks for them and when the bartender brought them, she clinked her glass against his, smiling again.

Quite a few drinks, and hours, later, Peyton was still sitting at the bar, Lucas next to her. It had surprised her how easily she had opened up to him about the break-up. She told him about finding out that her boyfriend of five years had fallen in love with someone else and cheated on her. Jake had called it a simple kiss, something unintended, but she knew that it was a whole lot more than that. He had never wanted to hurt her, she knew that as well, but that didn't mean he hadn't.

She was hurt now, and broken. She couldn't help but feel as if she wasn't good enough.

Not good enough to keep Jake.

Not good enough to keep Jake from falling for someone else.

Not good enough for Jake to love her forever.

For some reason, she had told Lucas all of that. Again, she thought that maybe it had something to do with his smile, or his eyes. Or maybe it had just something to do with the fact that she had already drunk _way _too much.

"I don't usually drink, you know? I mean, not a lot." She said, looking at yet another glass in her hands. "But I guess this asks for some sort of celebration. I'm single again, that's a good thing, right?" Peyton continued, slurring just a tiny bit.

He laughed lightly, having drunk a lot less than her, and took the glass out of her hands. "I think you've had quite enough, no? And it's not that bad, being single again. I know it doesn't help you right now, but maybe life just has something else waiting for you, you know?"

"Right," She nodded. "That's the beauty of life, right?" She said, the sarcasm clear in her voice. She stood up from her stool, grabbing her bag and smiling at him a last time before walking away.

She was only a few steps away when she abruptly stopped. Without much thought, she turned around, back in the direction of Lucas. When she had reached him again, he looked up at her in surprise, a slightly amused twinkle in his eyes.

She looked like she was going to say something so he stood up as well, cupping her elbow to keep her steady. With the hand that wasn't locked in Lucas' grip, she went through her hair, before leaning in slightly. "I forgot to thank you for tonight, Luke. I had a good time, I guess." She said, and somehow she was slurring a bit more than she was before.

"You guess?"

"I guess." She nodded before suddenly throwing her arms around him. It surprised him, but it didn't take him long to reciprocate the hug. He was sure though that she didn't really know anymore what she was doing. She may have been drinking, but the girl he had got to know that evening didn't seem like one to just randomly hug people. When she broke the hug, she briefly locked eyes with before leaning in again, surprising him once again as well.

She kissed him softly, but determined as well, and he could've sworn he had never been kissed like that. There was this voice in the back of his head, asking him what the hell he was doing, but he didn't have it in him to care.

He simply kissed her back. And he knew he would've kissed her much longer if it hadn't been for her pulling away.

She stood still for a second, a little breathless, but then stepped away from him a bit, once again picking up her bag that had fallen to the ground when she had kissed him, and smiled softly at him. "Bye, Luke." She said before walking away, for real this time.

As he watched her walking away from him, he had no idea what had just happened. This beautiful, unknown woman had just kissed him. He had kissed her back. And now she had left, and he knew nothing about her. No number, no address, no nothing.

It then dawned on him that in all those hours they had sat there together, she hadn't even told him her name.

* * *

><p>She walked down the New York streets, trying to make her way through all the people. She had a book clutched firmly into her right hand while her left hand was wrapped around the bag hanging on her shoulder. It had been three months now since she and Jake had broken up, and two weeks since she had moved to New York City, leaving LA behind her.<p>

She hadn't wanted to at first, insisting that she simply couldn't quite her job like that. That she had responsibilities there, that people were counting on her. She convinced herself that she _had _to stay. And so she stayed. And as more time passed and she closed herself off from pretty much everyone she knew in LA, Brooke knew she had to interfere. She had called Peyton and told her she would come to LA to pick her up. Peyton should and _would _come live with her in New York for a while.

It didn't take long for Peyton to agree with Brooke's decision, not that she had much choice anyway. It had scared her to leave LA behind at first. It had occurred her mind when Jake had moved out of their apartment and she had realized there really wasn't much left for her in LA. But she had been too afraid. She wasn't happy there, she knew that, but she _did _know it there. She knew how to function in that world, what she had to do to simply keep breathing. She knew what people expected of her, how she was supposed to act. Trading that city for another one meant starting all over again in some ways, making a huge change, and as much as she knew it would be best for her to get away from LA, that change was one she was more than afraid to make. But then, when Brooke told her in very clear words that there was no other option, it suddenly didn't seem so scary anymore.

She had listened to her best friend, packed her things, and followed Brooke to New York City, the place where Brooke had been living for six years, having moved there around the same time Peyton had left for LA. Brooke had offered her her spare bedroom, telling her how she could stay there for as long as she wanted to. For as long as she _needed _to.

That was two weeks ago.

Peyton walked into the coffee shop at the end of the street where she would meet Brooke. She was too early, but she figured she would just wait there for a while. Walking into the place, she somehow hadn't noticed the other person walking out of it. They hardly collided, the book in Peyton's hand falling onto the ground in the process. The other person crouched down to pick up the book, letting out a few chuckles as he looked at the cover.

"So you did check it out, huh?" He said as he finally faced her and Peyton realized the person she had just walked into was Lucas, the man she had met in that bar three months ago now.

Smiling rather sheepishly, she nodded. "Um, yeah, I was curious, I guess."

After she had left the bar that night, she had gone straight home, not really thinking nor caring too much about what had happened, what she had done right before leaving. When she had woken up though the day after, she had remembered the previous night pretty quickly, thanks to quite the headache.

It wasn't like her at all to just go to a bar and kiss a random guy. Even when she was in high school and Brooke was having _fun_, like the brunette liked to call it, she was never one to follow Brooke's lead. She just didn't do that. But Lucas, well, that seemed to be a total different story. She knew that she wasn't exactly sober when she had kissed him, and maybe she wouldn't have done it if she had been, but still, she had _wanted _to kiss him. And she didn't regret it.

She'd had a nice time that night, despite the circumstances, and if that night had ended with her drunken hug and kiss, so be it. It wasn't like she was going to see him ever again, right?

Or at least that was what she thought. It now seemed as if life had quite another plan.

She had been thinking about him though, and that had only increased when she had found his novel. She'd found it by accident, she was just walking by a book shop when she had recognized a picture of a man on a book. The book turned out to be written by some guy, Lucas Scott. If his picture hadn't been there, she would've probably never known it was him. It wasn't like there was only one 'Lucas' in the world. Peyton had doubted for a split second whether to buy it or not, but the decision to buy that book was easily made.

That had been two months ago, and ever since reading the book for the first time she had carried it around with her pretty much everywhere. It felt silly, carrying a book of him with her in her bag. She would read it whenever she found the time, always finding solace in his words.

It felt silly, but she couldn't help it.

"And? What'd you think of it?" He asked then with a slight smirk, making her snap out of her thoughts.

"It's beautiful, Lucas." She smiled and took the book back from him. He smiled at her as well and shoved his hands into his pockets. "So, what are you doing in the city?" Peyton asked then, but quickly realized he had told her he lived in New York.

"Well, I live here." He chuckled. "What about you? You lived in LA, right?"

Letting out a light chuckle as well, she nodded. "Yeah, I did. I just moved here actually. Brooke, my best friend, insisted that I should leave LA for a while."

"Good." Lucas nodded.

"Good?"

"Yeah, good." He repeated, receiving a soft laugh from Peyton. "You know, I was wondering if I would ever see you again, after well, you remember, right?" He said teasingly, referring to her not so sober state of mind that evening.

"I do remember kissing you, yes." She said with a mock glare, shoving his arm lightly. "I don't remember if it was any good, though." She mumbled then playfully.

"Hey!" He protested, but had to let out a heartily laugh as well. "Um, I was wondering…" Lucas started again after a brief moment of silence. He met her eyes, the most beautiful shade of green he had ever seen, and gave her a lopsided smile. "I'm leaving for Tree Hill tonight, my hometown, but you know, what about dinner some time when I get back?"

She ran a hand through her hair, thinking for a little while, before smiling rather cheekily. "What about we bump into each other a third time and _then_ we'll see about that dinner?" She suggested. She didn't really know why she had just said it, because in all honesty, she actually _would _like to have dinner with him. But still, they had only met twice, and okay, they had kissed once, but that didn't have to mean anything.

She somewhat liked the idea to just wait and see if life would bring them together once more.

He chuckled in what seemed a little bit of disbelief, but slowly nodded as well. "You sure?"

Peyton nodded too, smiling gently. "Bye, Luke." She said before walking away from him into the New York streets again. She could meet up with Brooke later.

"Could you at least tell me your name this time? You know mine! You even read my book, which means you practically know my whole life-story." He called out after her, walking out of the coffee shop as well.

She turned around with a light laugh. "It's Peyton."

"Peyton who?"

"Peyton 'you-will-find-that-out-next-time'." She laughed and sent him a little wink before disappearing out of his sight.

He could only sigh as he shook his head a few times. At least he knew her name now, though.

* * *

><p>Living in New York for a little over four months now, Peyton knew most of the good places by now. She knew where to eat delicious food, where to get awesome drinks, or where to shop for the most amazing things. All thanks to Brooke Davis. What she had learned by herself though was where to go for the best books, or the greatest music. Or where she could get the finest art supplies. She had wandered by herself through the city until she had found those precise shops she needed in every town she'd live, even if she'd stay for only a short period of time.<p>

As she rounded the corner of the street and headed for the record shop she visited almost every day, her thoughts suddenly wandered back to Lucas, not that that was much of a surprise. She would think of him more often than not, even though she knew she should probably just forget him. It had been her idea to wait for another random encounter, declining his offer to have dinner, and now, it was only logical she had to live with the consequences. New York was a big city, millions of people lived there, did she really expect to just magically bump into him a _third_ time?

She knew those things only happened in romance novels.

She also knew life was _far _from a romance novel.

Peyton opened the door of the record store and was immediately met with Chris' bright grin.

"Look at that, Peyton Sawyer just can't stay away from the Chris Keller, now can she?"

"Hate to break it to you, buddy, but you know I'm only here for the music." She laughed while dropping her bag next to him behind the cash desk. Chris was a singer, a musician, but becoming famous and making a living out of his music was still rather difficult so he worked in the record store until he would find an opportunity to really break through. They had easily bonded over their love for music, and though she would _always _claim to only be there for the music, she kinda enjoyed Chris' company as well.

"Sure, Goldilocks." He smiled and reached for something in a cabinet behind him. "Here, those came in today. Thought you might want to check them out." Chris said, handing her a new small pile of CD's.

"Thanks, Spikey." She answered while taking the CD's. She looked up, only to see him looking down at her with a disapproving look. He wasn't really fond of the nickname she had come up with for him. She knew herself it _was _lame, but she liked it nonetheless and if using it meant pissing him off just a tiny little bit, that'd be a nice bonus. Laughingly, she pointed at his dark blonde spikes with one hand and held the other one up in defense. "Hey, blame that hair of yours, okay? If you didn't look like that, I would've never come up with it."

Chris couldn't help a snort. "You would probably come up with something even lamer."

"That might just be very true, yeah." She said in a sing-song voice while letting out some chuckles and walked further into the store.

She was standing with her back to the door a while later, rummaging through some records, looking for nothing in particular, but just somewhat loving to go through all the music, when she heard the jingle of the door, indicating that someone had entered the place. Just a few seconds later she heard someone chuckling softly.

"You have got to be kidding me." A male voice said and even though she had only heard that voice two times before, she knew exactly who was standing behind her.

Turning around, it was indeed him standing there, that same crooked smile she had seen before firmly in its place. "Lucas, how – Why, you… You, you aren't stalking me, right? You don't follow me around or something, right?" She brought out in much disbelief. How on earth was it possible that he was there?

He laughed that laugh she already more than liked and shook his head. "No, I don't. Believe me, if I _was _following you around, I wouldn't have waited almost four months to make myself knowable."

Getting over the initial shock of him really being there, she tilted her head a little. "Lucas Scott, have you been counting?" She said, the teasing clear in her voice.

"Maybe I have, Peyton, what was the name again?" He asked cheekily as she playfully rolled her eyes.

"Sawyer."

"Peyton Sawyer." He nodded, glad to finally know a full name. "So, Peyton Sawyer, what about dinner?" Lucas asked then, not wasting time on pointless small talk.

"I guess dinner sounds about right." She answered while she tried to suppress that wide grin that was desperately trying to break onto her face.

Nodding again, he smiled. "Why don't you give me your address then and I'll pick you up tomorrow at, say 7 o'clock?"

"Sounds like a plan to me." Peyton agreed with a smile as well and gave him her address.

He turned around then, but briefly looked back to send her a wink, "I'll be seeing you, Peyton Sawyer." He walked out of the store and Peyton had to try her best to hold back an excited squeal.

Life _wasn't _a romance novel, right?

* * *

><p>Standing in front of her mirror, wearing the dress Brooke had given her earlier that day, she started to think again that maybe going out for dinner with Lucas wasn't the best idea. She had just broken up with Jake (yes, it had already been seven months, but it sounded like a nice excuse) and she barely even knew him. For all she knew he could be some psycho, and she already had had her fair share of psycho's in the past. Then again, she figured, people go on blind dates all the time and not <em>everyone <em>is a psycho. And it wasn't even a blind date, they _had_ already met a few times. They had even kissed.

And as Brooke had told her just mere minutes ago; a kiss _always _means something.

She wasn't sure if that sentence fitted their circumstances too though. Does a _drunken _kiss always mean something as well?

When she had told Brooke that, the brunette had been quite firmly, telling her how they both knew that even though Peyton had been a bit drunk, that kiss _had _meant something. And the fact that for seven months now Lucas had been on her mind nearly all the time definitely meant something as well. And then she hadn't even started about his book that Peyton _still _carried around with her.

Maybe Brooke was right, maybe it all did mean something. She sighed softly, brushing a few wrinkles out of her dress. She had wanted this, she had been hoping to see him again from the moment she had woken up the day after she had first met him. It'd be silly to let her stupid fears and excuses get in the way of that.

The doorbell rang, and only a few seconds later Brooke peeked her head around the door. "There's someone waiting for you, P." She said, a suggestive twinkle in her eye. Peyton nodded as she walked away from the mirror and walked out of the room, heading for the hallway. Brooke called out for her, wishing her good luck, before disappearing into her own bedroom.

"Hi." Peyton said softly as she walked closer to where Lucas was standing in Brooke's hallway.

"Peyton, hey." He smiled and couldn't help looking her up and down. She noticed him checking her out and started fidgeting with her clutch, feeling a bit self-conscious.

"Done?" She then teased when their eyes met. He coughed awkwardly and gave her a sheepish nod before leading her out of the apartment.

"You look beautiful, Peyton." He said and laughed lightly when he saw her blushing. She wasn't one to easily take a compliment, something he had already noticed the evening they had first met.

He held a cab for them when they reached the street while Peyton teased him about expecting a limo, but having to ride in a cab instead now. It surprised and comforted her both at the same time how she felt so completely at ease when she was with him. She was still a bit nervous about their date, though it was the good kind of nervous, but she also felt simply _comfortable_.

And when he sent her a crooked smile and a wink right before she stepped into the cab, she was sure tonight was going to be perfect.

* * *

><p>As they walked side by side, Lucas' jacket wrapped around Peyton's shoulders, a comfortable silence lingered between them. They were walking towards Peyton's, well Brooke's, apartment after their dinner and though Peyton was actually pretty tired, she couldn't help but wish that maybe their night wasn't over yet.<p>

"I had a really great time tonight, Peyton." Lucas broke the silence, tilting his head a little towards her.

She nodded slowly and smiled, "Me too." Peyton said. "I still can't believe you actually have your very own fan club, by the way."

He shook his head a few times, though he had to laugh as well, and held up his hands. "I had _no _idea myself." He said, letting out a few chuckles which she had no problem matching.

Three girls had approached them, or better, they had approached _Lucas_ when they were walking on the sidewalk a little while ago. The girls had recognized his from his book and had told them how they absolutely loved his book and had already read it multiple times. He had thought it nice to meet a few fans, not knowing that his book had had such an impact, but when one of the girls told him she had been dreaming over and over about the moment she'd meet her favorite author, it had become slightly uncomfortable. It was still great though, to meet people that seemed to be so passionate about his novel.

They walked the steps to Brooke's apartment, still laughing lightly, and when they reached the door a rather awkward silence fell. Both of them didn't want the evening to end, yet none of them knew the other felt the same way.

Lucas shoved his hands in his pockets, smiling crookedly as he watched her fumble with something in her clutch. She looked up then, right into his eyes and smiled softly.

"I get it, you know?" She said and even nodded a little.

"Get what?"

"The girls. About your book." Peyton explained. "I get why they love it so much. I, I've actually read it quite a few times as well." She admitted then and could already feel a blush rise to her cheeks.

He laughed in what seemed a rather nervous manner, "Really?"

"It's beautiful, Lucas." She said, using the same words she had used when they had seen each other again the first time in that coffee shop. "I can't describe it, it's beautifully written and, it's just beautiful."

Lucas took a step closer, not noticing how her breath got caught in her chest. Or maybe he did, but just didn't seem too fazed by it. He placed his right hand on her cheek and she let herself get lost in that glorious feeling of anticipation right before a kiss. She knew he'd kiss her, but it still seemed to be unexpected when she did indeed feel his lips on hers. His other hand got tangled in her messy curls as she wrapped her own hands around his neck.

As they kissed, she couldn't help but think how that kiss right now was even way better than the one they had shared months ago. It was only the second time they kissed, yet it felt so familiar and somewhat simply _right_. When they broke apart and Lucas rested his forehead against hers, smiling a little, there was nothing else she could do than kiss him again.

It took them quite another few minutes, but they finally broke apart again, both a bit breathless. He held one hand in her hair at the back of her neck while the other one had fallen onto her waist and smirked that typical smirk she had already got to know pretty well.

"Worth the wait?" He asked playfully, receiving a light shove on his chest from Peyton.

She had to smile as well though, "Definitely worth the wait."

"Good, I'm glad."

"You're _glad_?"

"Yeah. I'm glad." He repeated his words, ignoring her raised eyebrows. "I'd hate to disappoint you." He said then, giving her the cutest grin, before leaning down to kiss her once again.

He pulled away after a while, but quickly pecked her lips one last time before fully letting go of her. "Let's not rush things, okay?" Lucas smiled crookedly, knowing she would get what he was hinting at. She could be pretty damn sure that he wasn't going to let down that idea of hers to wait for a long time. She'd let him wait for months, he should be at least able to tease her now with it. "What'd you think? Should we wait for another random encounter or do I just call you tomorrow?"

"Just call, you goof." Peyton rolled her eyes, but had a smile on her face too.

"I will." He smiled back and walked down the few steps leading to the street. "I'll be seeing you." He then said with a wink as he turned around a bit before really walking away.

Inside the apartment, she leaned her head against the closed door and simply couldn't wipe that wide smile from her face.

She didn't really want to either.

* * *

><p>Peyton fastened her new necklace around her neck as she stood before her mirror, getting ready for dinner with her boyfriend. She let her fingers trail over the beautiful necklace and couldn't help but smile. Lucas had given her the piece of jewellery earlier that day, a gift for their one year anniversary. As she eyed herself in the mirror and saw that happy glow over her, she could hardly believe it had already been one year since that first date with Lucas.<p>

He had indeed called her the day after and after that call things had gone pretty fast. They had started dating and they were both happy and Peyton had not once looked back to the way her life was before him. She had left LA for good, deciding to settle down in New York, close to both her best friend and her boyfriend. She was sure she had never been happier in her life.

They both had their history, he had even been married in the past, but it all just didn't seem to matter. It seemed like some sort of fate had brought them together and she'd rather move forward with him now than dwell over the past. The past was the past and as she had learned pretty soon, the future seemed to be much more interesting.

Her doorbell rang just as she was about to leave her room and knowing it was Lucas to pick her up, that smile she had been wearing practically all day now only widened.

"Hey," She softly smiled as she let him in and he immediately pulled her closer to him to kiss her.

"Hi." He answered, unabashedly checking her out. "You look _beautiful_." He said slowly. She only smiled back and blushed a bit, still not really used to taking compliments from him.

Peyton grabbed her purse and looked up at him again. "We better get going, is the cab you took to come here still waiting for us?"

"Um, yeah, but we still got some time." Lucas said as he grabbed her free hand. "I love you, you know that?"

She smiled once again and nodded before standing on her toes and quickly kissing him. "I love you too."

It had been a while since they had first said those words to each other, but no matter how many times they had said it already, they still made her feel all tingly. He would just randomly tell her that he loved her and she would fall for him ever more than she already had. As more time passed and she felt how she loved him more every single day again, she was sure they'd be together forever.

"Move in with me." He said then suddenly, surprising maybe both of them. He had planned to ask her to move in with him, he just hadn't planned to ask it _now_. He'd do it over dinner, leading the conversation that way, not just randomly drop the bomb like that. He didn't know why he had just said it, but even if it wasn't at all how he had planned it, he still meant it. He wanted her to move in with him, hell, if he was honest he even wanted to marry her. Not that he was going to mention that anytime soon.

"What?" Peyton asked dumbfounded. It wasn't like the idea had never occurred her mind, of course it had, she just hadn't expected him to ask it now, in the middle of her hallway, ready to walk out of the door.

"Move in with me." Lucas repeated his words, still holding onto her hand. "I love you, you love me, and I just us want us to be together. I want us to live together."

"Luke, I love you, I do, but it's only been–" She started, but he was quick to cut her off.

"It's been more than a year. It's been almost two years now, it's been _you _ever since that kiss in that bar and you know it's true."

"You really want us to live together?" She said, a small smile dancing around her lips.

"Of course."

She laughed lightly, resting her head against his chest for a second before looking up to meet his eyes. "Okay." It was a simply as that. A simply okay, but it told Lucas all he had to know. He smiled widely, taking her face in his hands and kissing her in that passionate, full of love kind of way. The kiss took her back to the very first kiss they had shared and when they broke apart and caught their breath, she could only smile.

"I am so glad I kissed you back then in that bar."

"You have no idea how happy I am about that as well. Even though you tortured me for months after that with your stupid plan of waiting." Lucas answered and they both had to laugh. Even more than a year later, he still couldn't really let go of it.

He kissed her again then, and they both knew it'd probably take a while before they'd be sitting in that cab waiting for them outside.

It didn't really matter though, they weren't in a hurry. Life had only just started.


End file.
